Hello all,
I hope you are doing well. I am in Accra right now working on some things and getting some R&R, which means eating gelato and going to watch Alice in Wonderland in an air conditioned movie theater with stadium style thinking. This place is crazy...it is a whole different world where I live, which is fine with me because I joined PC for a different lifestyle and well, I got it.
So one of my happiest moments at site so far was when the teens from the Junior High put on a drama about teen pregnancy for the whole community. What made me most proud about this event was that it was the girls at the J. high who approached me and informed me that they wanted to do a drama on teen pregnancy. We began to work on it, but at a snail's pace. I would hold meetings and only one or two girls would show up. I thought that their interest was fading, which was fine because my role is just to facilitate. So the date was approaching fast for the day we had originally scheduled for the drama. I even tried to hold a meeting three days before the event, but no one showed up. There is a particular man in my town who is very hard working and super enthusiastic. He loves doing dramas and seems to have a natural knack for it. We asked him to help and advise us. Finally, two days before the event all the teens gathered and we had a three hour rehearsal and the kids began to see that this was actually happening. It was a bit stressful in the days leading up to this meeting because nothing was coming together. It was very interesting, though, because it was the girls who intiated the drama and when the boys never came to the meetings, it was their own decision to continue with the drama (their words were along the lines of "we are better without the boys anyway." so junior high! ha) and to have some of the girls plays the male parts. Anyway, so we had the practice and the kids began to get motivated and realize that we were actually making this happen. The next day all the kids showed up for another short rehearsal and then it was the day of the drama. I took a back seat (still it was so stressful because this event was turning out to be much bigger than I imagined and I had no idea if the kids would step up to the plate. I lost so many items that day and had to chug a soft drink very fast since I needed to calm down but did not want to drink in front of the teens since they were getting ready at my house. Plus, I had a boil that was oozing pus from my shoulder. So fun!). The teens did step up to the plate and so did the community, which is what should happen! The teens all brought their own costumes (that I did not even suggest) and money to contribute for the sound system and the dance party after. The man assisting with the drama brought out his largest sound system, generator, and computer and the event was on! The whole community showed up, due to the music and dance party. The teens did so well...they spoke loudly into the mic, were bold, and even showed their sense of humor. We planned the story line, but it was all improv. African children have a great flair for dramas. They just seem so natural at it and comfortable with performing. I think it has something to do with their tradition of storytelling and expression.
I am also working on a grant with the counterpart to get funding for a day to sell the seedlings of a certain tree that is packed with protein and minerals and promote the use of the tree, build rabbit cages for farmers who complete a basic business class on profit and loss taught by me, do a food preservation class, and then also do a class on making soap from the leaves of this tree (moringa). Other than that, learning how to bake bread over a gas stove and just trying to live my life.
:D bye!
Lindsey
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
february!
Hello all...
I cannot believe that I have been in Ghana for eight months now. For some of you, I have already emailed you some of these items and my thoughts just bear with me. :D
I am in the city of Kumasi right now with my fellow health volunteers. It is wonderful to see my friends again, speak American English, drink cold beer, and learn many technical skills and resources to guide our next year and a half. My APCD (Associate Program Country Director) of Health is brilliant so training has been quite beneficial and very refreshing as opposed to the general training we received in the first three months of our service. We have all adjusted well or relatively well and this is great to see. It was not so long ago that I was trying to find ways of disposing of my food without offending my host family. On our way back from training this time around, we are all planning on going to visit our host families. I am so excited to see my host mom, witness her crazy happy dance, and show her that I actually do enjoy her food now. It is so interesting, but I think that one of the crucial steps to integrating well into the culture is to learn how to enjoy the food here. Ghanaians have such pride in their local cusine (as do most cultures) so it a point of connecting with and making actual friends with the people over their food so key. This has taken so long, though. I would say that during my 5th or 6th month of service, I came to really appreciate and enjoy the country. Regarding the food, it was a matter of pure hunger that lead me to eat more of their local cuisine and now I actually crave the soup and balls of starch. Sort of a scary thought...if I fit in here, in such a radically different culture, will I ever be able to make friends and function in America? Ha ha. Just a warning to the lucky people with whom I will choose to live and mooch off after I return.
There are many things I miss. Or perhaps they are not really things, but more cultural frameworks and mindsets. Education here is very frustrating as the focus is completely on subservience, memorization, and standarized tests. I recognize that in America we are constantly having the debate about the perhaps improper role standarized tests play in our country. Being here makes me appreciate the wonderful education I received at Hillcrest (Mrs. Maddron especially!). Some of the volunteers have begun teaching computer classes not because they really care about computers or they schools even have electricity, but because without learning the requirements started by Ghana Education Service, these students will have no chance of going to senior high school. Thus, the requirements are not based on whether the students have proper materials in the classroom or even teachers, but on what the education department decides. I am sure this is common in many countries so it is not only Ghanaian youth who struggle to escape the life of poverty through higher education. It is common for me to see the students going to farm after school ends for the day to work on the headmaster's farm. Whem I do go to the school, the students are usually just sitting in the classroom without a teacher. If they students leave, they will get beaten. It is quite a conundrum because we encourage parents to send their children to school instead of farm and yet, it does make sense for a parent to value the finances of the family over the education of the child when the child does not learn anyway. The structure of the education system does not encourage creativity and questioning, as I have mentioned before, and this is one of the most frustrating aspects of education here.
The lack of questioning and conversational skills exists in my everyday interactions and relationships. People have told me that I ask too many questions and perhaps this is true. haha. Not that I am going to change. I don't care if I do, but I have noticed and been frustrated by my failed attempts to hold a meaningful conversation with some people whom I considered my close friends. Looking at the cultural context, though, I can step back and realize these critiques without judgment. Marriage here, at least in the village, is centered around going to farm, eating, and procreating. I recently went to a workshop funded by a local Women's Development NGO and the women discussed many of their relationship problems with their spouses. Some of the women mentioned the fact that they are afraid to speak to their husbands about something that has angered or upset them because they are afraid they will get beat. In fact, Ghana does have a law against domestic violence, but it was very difficult for Parliament to pass such a law. The women at the workshop were professional women so their lives and therefore, their solutions were very different than the solutions some of the women in my village would have come up with. Even then, it seemed like a relatively new concept to many of the women to perhaps ask her husband to go out for a beer or soda and just try to listen and communicate openly about the problem. Going to the workshop and realizing the difficulties these women have in communicating with their spouses made me realize how much I value the power I have to speak my mind, how much I value honesty and frankness, and become more patient with my friends if their conversational skills are limited to food and my general state of being. It also makes me appreciate so much more my few friends I have that ask stimulating questions and with whom I can hold meaningful conversations. And it just puts me, once again, in the role of asking more questions in interactions. haha.
The workshop rocked my socks off! Another volunteer in my district went to the workshop and we just came away from it extremely inspired about the quality of the women working for this NGO, the level of consciousness of the women participating, and the potential we have for colloborating with this agency. We had an anon question box and some of the questions were quite sobering. Some of these were what a woman should do if her family does not love her since she is not married and what are suggestions for a woman whose husband no longer loves her and how to win back his heart. The reality of the lives of women here is very hard to swallow, even those of professional women with education. Once the women begin to work and spend more time away from home, it is common for the man to choose another girlfriend because activities such as cooking, being in the house, and doing the wash are seen as acts of love and so if a woman cannot do those all the time, her husband goes to find another. This is not to say all men do this, but this is the reality for many women. The challenges are enormous and just break my heart, I did not come away from the workshop depressed, though. Instead, I was so impressed and moved by the strength, humor, and resliency of the women. I loved the facilitator (who when people ask if she is married, she states she is happily single) and the fact that Ghanaian women were discussing issues and concerns that women all over still face and that my fellow PVCs and I have discussed. I am so excited to work with this NGO on some of our projects, such as a leadership and HIV prevention camp for youth, Take Your Daughter to Work Day, and International Women's Day.
So my fellow health volunteers and I had quite an inspiring day. Part of PC health is to improve the nutritional status of community members. One way to do this is through projects called Alternative Livelihood. In Tutukpene, the majority of the people focus only on subsistence farming with yam, maize, cassava, etc. Today we visited an amazing farm owned by a man who started with a poultry farm of only 50 chickens and has worked up to owning 150 acres, farming fish, chicken, grass cutters, pigs, and even owning ostriches and crocodiles with the goal in mind of beginning an ecotourism project. He won Ghana's National Farmer of the Year a few years ago and rightfully so. Consistent with subsistence farming, it is common here for farmers to not keep track of expenditures and profits and just live day to day. Thus, it is amazing (!) to meet a man who began as a mechanic and somehow had the know how to begin planning for his goals and know how to make them a reality. We went with our counterparts (volunteers chosen by our communities) and it was very beneficial for them to see someone who was formerly in their economic situations and now is quite affluent. I am hoping that my counterpart will be motivated more so now to work with the Farmer's Group in T.P. to raise rabbits, grow trees and moringa trees, and decide on other alternative livelihood projects. On my own, I want to try to raise goats, rabbits, and grass cutters so that perhaps I can fund my vaca. :D
I am sure you are all wondering what I am doing here and if I am completely wasting my life under the African sun. haha. Yes, my skin is turning to leather and I will need to spend my readjustment allowance on plastic surgery. Other than that, I feel like things are going relatively well considering it is hotter than Hades and the culture is so different. Everyday, when I think about American productivity and pace of life and feel guilty about how lazy I am, I have to remind myself of what a brilliant man JFK was when he made 2 of the three goals of the PC about creating relationships and peacekeeping. Thus, I am doing my job everyday that I sit down with my friends to eat fufu, do my wash, and fetch water from the boar hole. That said, there are many projects I want to do and am quite excited about, but I have to make sure that the community initiates the project so that I will not be placed in the role that post colonized nations sometimes fall back on in relying on the "foreigner."
I will just list a few projects that are rolling around in my head and will hopefully come into fruition soon (Africa soon mind you...):
Going to the Upper West with a young female student to learn to make soap the come back to the district/village to teach other women a potential income generating activity
Continuing with the Girls Club I started- training for an AIDS race, doing dramas, baking cakes, Take Your Daughter to Work Day, learning cloth making
Doing HIV/AIDS prevention with the youth- drama and quiz competitions
Working with the Farmer's Group to do Alternative Livelihood projects
Doing educational activities based on treating malnutrition in the community
Working on material items that T.P. has identified as needs- another boar hole, latrines, a storage center for grains
And starting my farm! :D
Just to provide a disclaimer, perhaps ask me about these projects in three months as then they will just have begun...ha.
Gotta go,
Lindsey
I cannot believe that I have been in Ghana for eight months now. For some of you, I have already emailed you some of these items and my thoughts just bear with me. :D
I am in the city of Kumasi right now with my fellow health volunteers. It is wonderful to see my friends again, speak American English, drink cold beer, and learn many technical skills and resources to guide our next year and a half. My APCD (Associate Program Country Director) of Health is brilliant so training has been quite beneficial and very refreshing as opposed to the general training we received in the first three months of our service. We have all adjusted well or relatively well and this is great to see. It was not so long ago that I was trying to find ways of disposing of my food without offending my host family. On our way back from training this time around, we are all planning on going to visit our host families. I am so excited to see my host mom, witness her crazy happy dance, and show her that I actually do enjoy her food now. It is so interesting, but I think that one of the crucial steps to integrating well into the culture is to learn how to enjoy the food here. Ghanaians have such pride in their local cusine (as do most cultures) so it a point of connecting with and making actual friends with the people over their food so key. This has taken so long, though. I would say that during my 5th or 6th month of service, I came to really appreciate and enjoy the country. Regarding the food, it was a matter of pure hunger that lead me to eat more of their local cuisine and now I actually crave the soup and balls of starch. Sort of a scary thought...if I fit in here, in such a radically different culture, will I ever be able to make friends and function in America? Ha ha. Just a warning to the lucky people with whom I will choose to live and mooch off after I return.
There are many things I miss. Or perhaps they are not really things, but more cultural frameworks and mindsets. Education here is very frustrating as the focus is completely on subservience, memorization, and standarized tests. I recognize that in America we are constantly having the debate about the perhaps improper role standarized tests play in our country. Being here makes me appreciate the wonderful education I received at Hillcrest (Mrs. Maddron especially!). Some of the volunteers have begun teaching computer classes not because they really care about computers or they schools even have electricity, but because without learning the requirements started by Ghana Education Service, these students will have no chance of going to senior high school. Thus, the requirements are not based on whether the students have proper materials in the classroom or even teachers, but on what the education department decides. I am sure this is common in many countries so it is not only Ghanaian youth who struggle to escape the life of poverty through higher education. It is common for me to see the students going to farm after school ends for the day to work on the headmaster's farm. Whem I do go to the school, the students are usually just sitting in the classroom without a teacher. If they students leave, they will get beaten. It is quite a conundrum because we encourage parents to send their children to school instead of farm and yet, it does make sense for a parent to value the finances of the family over the education of the child when the child does not learn anyway. The structure of the education system does not encourage creativity and questioning, as I have mentioned before, and this is one of the most frustrating aspects of education here.
The lack of questioning and conversational skills exists in my everyday interactions and relationships. People have told me that I ask too many questions and perhaps this is true. haha. Not that I am going to change. I don't care if I do, but I have noticed and been frustrated by my failed attempts to hold a meaningful conversation with some people whom I considered my close friends. Looking at the cultural context, though, I can step back and realize these critiques without judgment. Marriage here, at least in the village, is centered around going to farm, eating, and procreating. I recently went to a workshop funded by a local Women's Development NGO and the women discussed many of their relationship problems with their spouses. Some of the women mentioned the fact that they are afraid to speak to their husbands about something that has angered or upset them because they are afraid they will get beat. In fact, Ghana does have a law against domestic violence, but it was very difficult for Parliament to pass such a law. The women at the workshop were professional women so their lives and therefore, their solutions were very different than the solutions some of the women in my village would have come up with. Even then, it seemed like a relatively new concept to many of the women to perhaps ask her husband to go out for a beer or soda and just try to listen and communicate openly about the problem. Going to the workshop and realizing the difficulties these women have in communicating with their spouses made me realize how much I value the power I have to speak my mind, how much I value honesty and frankness, and become more patient with my friends if their conversational skills are limited to food and my general state of being. It also makes me appreciate so much more my few friends I have that ask stimulating questions and with whom I can hold meaningful conversations. And it just puts me, once again, in the role of asking more questions in interactions. haha.
The workshop rocked my socks off! Another volunteer in my district went to the workshop and we just came away from it extremely inspired about the quality of the women working for this NGO, the level of consciousness of the women participating, and the potential we have for colloborating with this agency. We had an anon question box and some of the questions were quite sobering. Some of these were what a woman should do if her family does not love her since she is not married and what are suggestions for a woman whose husband no longer loves her and how to win back his heart. The reality of the lives of women here is very hard to swallow, even those of professional women with education. Once the women begin to work and spend more time away from home, it is common for the man to choose another girlfriend because activities such as cooking, being in the house, and doing the wash are seen as acts of love and so if a woman cannot do those all the time, her husband goes to find another. This is not to say all men do this, but this is the reality for many women. The challenges are enormous and just break my heart, I did not come away from the workshop depressed, though. Instead, I was so impressed and moved by the strength, humor, and resliency of the women. I loved the facilitator (who when people ask if she is married, she states she is happily single) and the fact that Ghanaian women were discussing issues and concerns that women all over still face and that my fellow PVCs and I have discussed. I am so excited to work with this NGO on some of our projects, such as a leadership and HIV prevention camp for youth, Take Your Daughter to Work Day, and International Women's Day.
So my fellow health volunteers and I had quite an inspiring day. Part of PC health is to improve the nutritional status of community members. One way to do this is through projects called Alternative Livelihood. In Tutukpene, the majority of the people focus only on subsistence farming with yam, maize, cassava, etc. Today we visited an amazing farm owned by a man who started with a poultry farm of only 50 chickens and has worked up to owning 150 acres, farming fish, chicken, grass cutters, pigs, and even owning ostriches and crocodiles with the goal in mind of beginning an ecotourism project. He won Ghana's National Farmer of the Year a few years ago and rightfully so. Consistent with subsistence farming, it is common here for farmers to not keep track of expenditures and profits and just live day to day. Thus, it is amazing (!) to meet a man who began as a mechanic and somehow had the know how to begin planning for his goals and know how to make them a reality. We went with our counterparts (volunteers chosen by our communities) and it was very beneficial for them to see someone who was formerly in their economic situations and now is quite affluent. I am hoping that my counterpart will be motivated more so now to work with the Farmer's Group in T.P. to raise rabbits, grow trees and moringa trees, and decide on other alternative livelihood projects. On my own, I want to try to raise goats, rabbits, and grass cutters so that perhaps I can fund my vaca. :D
I am sure you are all wondering what I am doing here and if I am completely wasting my life under the African sun. haha. Yes, my skin is turning to leather and I will need to spend my readjustment allowance on plastic surgery. Other than that, I feel like things are going relatively well considering it is hotter than Hades and the culture is so different. Everyday, when I think about American productivity and pace of life and feel guilty about how lazy I am, I have to remind myself of what a brilliant man JFK was when he made 2 of the three goals of the PC about creating relationships and peacekeeping. Thus, I am doing my job everyday that I sit down with my friends to eat fufu, do my wash, and fetch water from the boar hole. That said, there are many projects I want to do and am quite excited about, but I have to make sure that the community initiates the project so that I will not be placed in the role that post colonized nations sometimes fall back on in relying on the "foreigner."
I will just list a few projects that are rolling around in my head and will hopefully come into fruition soon (Africa soon mind you...):
Going to the Upper West with a young female student to learn to make soap the come back to the district/village to teach other women a potential income generating activity
Continuing with the Girls Club I started- training for an AIDS race, doing dramas, baking cakes, Take Your Daughter to Work Day, learning cloth making
Doing HIV/AIDS prevention with the youth- drama and quiz competitions
Working with the Farmer's Group to do Alternative Livelihood projects
Doing educational activities based on treating malnutrition in the community
Working on material items that T.P. has identified as needs- another boar hole, latrines, a storage center for grains
And starting my farm! :D
Just to provide a disclaimer, perhaps ask me about these projects in three months as then they will just have begun...ha.
Gotta go,
Lindsey
Monday, November 30, 2009
settling in
Hello all! Sorry for the lack of blog posts. I have very limited access to internet and when I do have the chance to use it, I like to send personal emails or read up on your lives!
It is crazy to think about how I have already been at site for 3 months and that I have been in the country for almost 6 months. wow. One of my PC friends and I were talking about how interesting to think about how humans are so adaptable. During training, we both hated the food. Now, three months into site, we actually crave some of the local foods. We joke about how we are going to have such a hard time readjusting to life in America after actually enjoying foods that we once hated, getting accustomed to drinking warm beer, and various other social habits that we have taken on. We joke about how we are going to be very socially awkward back in the U.S. Just a warning! ha.
My puppy is doing quite well. I have not seen him in some days since we all went to Accra for Thanksgiving. My 12 year old friend is taking care of him and making him fatter by the day. He will be the fatest dog in all of Tutukpene, which is wonderful since all of the dogs look like they are starving. He is the cutest thing ever and it makes me feel so good to have something to come home to. :D I will try to post pics when I have a good enough internet connection. His name is Opukalo, which means "all is good" in the local dilect. And I have been seeing people from Tutukpene today in my marke town and they greet me with the name of my dog. It is fabulous. People are constantly asking how my baby/husband is doing. He is quite the star in my town. And rightfully so since he is the best looking dog in the whole town. :D
Tommorrow my village is having a naming ceremony for me. The chief apparently bought eggs, which are quite expensive, so it must be a pretty important shindig. They have named me "Tilin" which means "We love or like you." ha. I hope they still feel the same when I do not bring them money, electricity, or bikes after two years, which is what everyone in the town thinks I am there for.
My counterpart (the man who volunteered to work with me on community projects) and I have been doing a census, which includes asking questions about diseases experienced during the last year, number of people in the household, kind of latrine used, when they use soap, whether they practice family planning, etc. During the census, I have also incorporated two questions of my own, which are what the people see as the strengths in Tutukpene (since everyone is only talking about the bad or what they need to me) and what projects they would like us to work on together. Usually the first reponse to what projects we can work on is how I should bring them money, bikes, or electricity. Alot of my work during the next two years will just be educating the people on what I am actually there for and what community development is. The census gives us a good chance to begin that education.
My work has not really begun yet since I just arrived three months ago and I have been working hard to just make sure I am happy and want to be here and that I am somewhat a part of the community. I am glad that the Peace Corps does not want us to really start any projects for the first three months since their approach to community development is from a capacity-building, people-centered, grassroots approach. I do not want to begin projects that the community has no interest in and that I am just starting because it is from what I see needs to be done. So I have been identifying projects that I think the community is interested in and that would be sustainable. so far, this includes bringing another well to the community (which could take a least a year due to bureacracy), starting an HIV/Art club to simultaneously educate about sexual health and teach the teens to be creative, working on bringing latrines to interested community members, working with the farmer's group to promote a protein-rich tree called moringa and rabbit rearing, and learning how to make moringa soap from another volunteer in the Upper West and then teaching the women in my community to increase income. So many things, but living here and accomplishing even small tasks takes so much patience. My list includes so much more, but development and behavior change is a slow process so I always have to keep that in mind. In the meantime, I am surviving the sun and enjoying my community (for the most part) and my pup. :D
Bye! Happy Holiday season.
Lindsey
It is crazy to think about how I have already been at site for 3 months and that I have been in the country for almost 6 months. wow. One of my PC friends and I were talking about how interesting to think about how humans are so adaptable. During training, we both hated the food. Now, three months into site, we actually crave some of the local foods. We joke about how we are going to have such a hard time readjusting to life in America after actually enjoying foods that we once hated, getting accustomed to drinking warm beer, and various other social habits that we have taken on. We joke about how we are going to be very socially awkward back in the U.S. Just a warning! ha.
My puppy is doing quite well. I have not seen him in some days since we all went to Accra for Thanksgiving. My 12 year old friend is taking care of him and making him fatter by the day. He will be the fatest dog in all of Tutukpene, which is wonderful since all of the dogs look like they are starving. He is the cutest thing ever and it makes me feel so good to have something to come home to. :D I will try to post pics when I have a good enough internet connection. His name is Opukalo, which means "all is good" in the local dilect. And I have been seeing people from Tutukpene today in my marke town and they greet me with the name of my dog. It is fabulous. People are constantly asking how my baby/husband is doing. He is quite the star in my town. And rightfully so since he is the best looking dog in the whole town. :D
Tommorrow my village is having a naming ceremony for me. The chief apparently bought eggs, which are quite expensive, so it must be a pretty important shindig. They have named me "Tilin" which means "We love or like you." ha. I hope they still feel the same when I do not bring them money, electricity, or bikes after two years, which is what everyone in the town thinks I am there for.
My counterpart (the man who volunteered to work with me on community projects) and I have been doing a census, which includes asking questions about diseases experienced during the last year, number of people in the household, kind of latrine used, when they use soap, whether they practice family planning, etc. During the census, I have also incorporated two questions of my own, which are what the people see as the strengths in Tutukpene (since everyone is only talking about the bad or what they need to me) and what projects they would like us to work on together. Usually the first reponse to what projects we can work on is how I should bring them money, bikes, or electricity. Alot of my work during the next two years will just be educating the people on what I am actually there for and what community development is. The census gives us a good chance to begin that education.
My work has not really begun yet since I just arrived three months ago and I have been working hard to just make sure I am happy and want to be here and that I am somewhat a part of the community. I am glad that the Peace Corps does not want us to really start any projects for the first three months since their approach to community development is from a capacity-building, people-centered, grassroots approach. I do not want to begin projects that the community has no interest in and that I am just starting because it is from what I see needs to be done. So I have been identifying projects that I think the community is interested in and that would be sustainable. so far, this includes bringing another well to the community (which could take a least a year due to bureacracy), starting an HIV/Art club to simultaneously educate about sexual health and teach the teens to be creative, working on bringing latrines to interested community members, working with the farmer's group to promote a protein-rich tree called moringa and rabbit rearing, and learning how to make moringa soap from another volunteer in the Upper West and then teaching the women in my community to increase income. So many things, but living here and accomplishing even small tasks takes so much patience. My list includes so much more, but development and behavior change is a slow process so I always have to keep that in mind. In the meantime, I am surviving the sun and enjoying my community (for the most part) and my pup. :D
Bye! Happy Holiday season.
Lindsey
Monday, September 28, 2009
women in ghana- part 2
This week I have had some very interesting conversations with some of my friends about women so I thought I would continue the theme of last week.
I am only going to state what I observe, hear, and see so if you would like to discuss anything more, please email me.
These conversations began by me first asking what are some of the issues in Tutukpene. Apparently, some of the major issues are "women chasing men." One of my friends was joking, but also serious, about how his wife would not give him water to bath after farm because she did not want any women to come and "steal" him. But then everyday, she dresses very well and looks nice. I spoke with another couple and the same sentiment was shared about the threat of another woman coming to steal her husband. Nothing was mentioned about the role that the husband played in reciprocating the "stealing."
I discussed this issue at length with the couple. The woman stated that if another woman tried to steal her husaband, she would murder the woman. I do not actually believe that she would murder another woman, but the seriousness of her statement about her options describes her powerlessness and the extent of her poverty regarding her ability to provide for herself and her children without a man. She described that murdering the other woman would be her only option if she wanted her children to survive. This topic of "murder" then led us to discuss another topic that numerous people have spoken to me about. This is the belief that women are evil and "Satan" because that is how it is "written in the Bible." The woman explained to me that there are many evil women, who are Satan, because they use witchcraft to get married, steal husbands, and murder other women's husbands (aka hit women). Her husband then told me that plently of women murder other women of whom they are jealous. I was quite confused because I had not heard anything of this phenomenon and Ghanaians are generally peaceful and happy. He then clarified and stated that perhaps it is just some. His wife stated that it is quite easy to murder a husband or the other woman and it could be done in a minute with poison or by leading the husband down to the riverside to help her "carry" something. Though murder may be easy, I have not heard of any of these cases of women committing acts of violence like this. I asked if something like this has happened in T.P. and they told me that the stories were coming from other places in Ghana, meaning that they could be overstated or just rumors.
Some of these ideas may be shocking, such as the blatant belief that women are Satan. Many people in America still hold this belief, though it may be evident only through their actions or affiliations. I was discussing with one of my friends how it is not a woman's fault if she gets raped. It is his belief (or was) that it is a woman's fault since women are temptresses (Satan) and that men cannot control themselves sexually so women must control themselves for the sake of the men. We are still fighting this perception and the detrimental affects it has on the victims of rape and sexual assault in America.
These conversations are difficult to have. Depending on the person and my relationship with the person, I may just listen for the most part. I generally respond with my own perception that it is not necessarily women who are evil. I explain that I think both men and women can do good and bad. I then explain that I think we all have the ability to do good more often than bad.
I am asking alot of questions, learning about issues in T.P., learning about farming (their livelihood), cooking, making groundnut cake (peanut brittle), riding my bike, and trying to shade myself from the African sun. I really like the people here and am beginning to feel more and more like a member of the community. I am looking forward to this weekend. There is a huge funeral so it will be a crazy dance party for sure. whoop. whoop.
tata
Lindsey
I am only going to state what I observe, hear, and see so if you would like to discuss anything more, please email me.
These conversations began by me first asking what are some of the issues in Tutukpene. Apparently, some of the major issues are "women chasing men." One of my friends was joking, but also serious, about how his wife would not give him water to bath after farm because she did not want any women to come and "steal" him. But then everyday, she dresses very well and looks nice. I spoke with another couple and the same sentiment was shared about the threat of another woman coming to steal her husband. Nothing was mentioned about the role that the husband played in reciprocating the "stealing."
I discussed this issue at length with the couple. The woman stated that if another woman tried to steal her husaband, she would murder the woman. I do not actually believe that she would murder another woman, but the seriousness of her statement about her options describes her powerlessness and the extent of her poverty regarding her ability to provide for herself and her children without a man. She described that murdering the other woman would be her only option if she wanted her children to survive. This topic of "murder" then led us to discuss another topic that numerous people have spoken to me about. This is the belief that women are evil and "Satan" because that is how it is "written in the Bible." The woman explained to me that there are many evil women, who are Satan, because they use witchcraft to get married, steal husbands, and murder other women's husbands (aka hit women). Her husband then told me that plently of women murder other women of whom they are jealous. I was quite confused because I had not heard anything of this phenomenon and Ghanaians are generally peaceful and happy. He then clarified and stated that perhaps it is just some. His wife stated that it is quite easy to murder a husband or the other woman and it could be done in a minute with poison or by leading the husband down to the riverside to help her "carry" something. Though murder may be easy, I have not heard of any of these cases of women committing acts of violence like this. I asked if something like this has happened in T.P. and they told me that the stories were coming from other places in Ghana, meaning that they could be overstated or just rumors.
Some of these ideas may be shocking, such as the blatant belief that women are Satan. Many people in America still hold this belief, though it may be evident only through their actions or affiliations. I was discussing with one of my friends how it is not a woman's fault if she gets raped. It is his belief (or was) that it is a woman's fault since women are temptresses (Satan) and that men cannot control themselves sexually so women must control themselves for the sake of the men. We are still fighting this perception and the detrimental affects it has on the victims of rape and sexual assault in America.
These conversations are difficult to have. Depending on the person and my relationship with the person, I may just listen for the most part. I generally respond with my own perception that it is not necessarily women who are evil. I explain that I think both men and women can do good and bad. I then explain that I think we all have the ability to do good more often than bad.
I am asking alot of questions, learning about issues in T.P., learning about farming (their livelihood), cooking, making groundnut cake (peanut brittle), riding my bike, and trying to shade myself from the African sun. I really like the people here and am beginning to feel more and more like a member of the community. I am looking forward to this weekend. There is a huge funeral so it will be a crazy dance party for sure. whoop. whoop.
tata
Lindsey
Monday, September 21, 2009
women in ghana- part 1
So this is a blog that I have been meaning to write for some time. I am quite interested in gender roles, as many of you know since I cannot stop talking about them. So obviously, I would want to comment on the roles of men and women in Ghana. Here goes...
I have been painting my rooms and everyone in my village is shocked. I cannot tell you the number of looks of disbelief I have received after telling people that I am painting my own rooms. Apparently, painting here is strictly a job for men. One of my friends wanted to help me paint, but claimed that she did not know how. I told her that it is a mere movement of your hand. So she learned to paint and actually really enjoyed it. Also, drawing seems to be only for boys. When one of my fellow volunteers was doing a presentation to children on health and how to stay safe and gave the children the assignment of drawing some unhealthy activities vs. healthy, the girls just stood to the back of the room while the boys drew. It is sad t0 see how something as important to a child's growth and imagination, such as drawing and being creative, becomes segregated and it is the girls who miss out. Many young girls I have talked to want to play football, but they do not know how or it is not acceptable for them to play. It is also the boys who site around in the afternoons playing board games while the girls watch, or more often than not, are caring for their younger siblings, making food, doing the wash, etc. It seems that the young men have more free time than the girls so they have the time to develop their creativity, play games that develop their minds, and just be kids.
How my colleague saw that the girls deferred to the boys in just the simple act of drawing is a microcosm for the roles of men and women here. During church meetings in my village, when there is a matter to be discussed in front of the whole church, it is only the men who speak. The congregation is segregated by sex, so neither sex will be distracted (!). Thus, it is only the male side of the church that actually gives their input as to what should be done about the issue. This is also the pattern in community meetings and even in the Peace Corps with our Ghanaian trainers. If men are present, women will not speak aloud. It was quite frustrating to see this pattern within the Peace Corps, which has the objective to empower women especially. When our trainers would be presenting about certain topics, such as the history and politics of Ghana, it would be only our male trainers who would present, though the women were just as capable as presenting, if not more so. Also, our trainers lived in the communities with us during training and it was a given that if there was a female trainer in the community, she would automatically take on the role of cooking for the male trainer though both were working the exact same hours.
Both the men and women here work extremely hard. The major source of income is from farming yams, cassava, plantains, maize, etc. Both men and women go to farm, but sometimes the women stays home to cook, clean, or grind/roast some of the products from the farm. Washing clothes by hand and cooking over a coal pot is hard work. I know that my host father thought that my host mother did not do anything all day, just because she stayed at home while I was living there. This was very frustrating to hear because I witnessed how hard she worked everyday and also because of the historical perception (that is perhaps fading out a bit in the U.S. due to both mother and father taking a greater role in child-rearing) that taking care of children and home is not "work."
Inevitably, this ties into sex. One of my friends has come to me about questions about her menstrual cycle that she should have known about three years ago, though she is 19. Another one of my friends has tried to ask his teachers and his father honest questions about sex, but no one will answer his questions. Youth seem hard pressed for information about natural functions. It seems that women cannot express their desires openly. They must wear a string of about 5 strings of beads around their waist, which purpose is to signal to the woman's partner that she would like sex without actually expressing herself verbally.
Hope you found this interesting! I am learning so much....
Lindsey
I have been painting my rooms and everyone in my village is shocked. I cannot tell you the number of looks of disbelief I have received after telling people that I am painting my own rooms. Apparently, painting here is strictly a job for men. One of my friends wanted to help me paint, but claimed that she did not know how. I told her that it is a mere movement of your hand. So she learned to paint and actually really enjoyed it. Also, drawing seems to be only for boys. When one of my fellow volunteers was doing a presentation to children on health and how to stay safe and gave the children the assignment of drawing some unhealthy activities vs. healthy, the girls just stood to the back of the room while the boys drew. It is sad t0 see how something as important to a child's growth and imagination, such as drawing and being creative, becomes segregated and it is the girls who miss out. Many young girls I have talked to want to play football, but they do not know how or it is not acceptable for them to play. It is also the boys who site around in the afternoons playing board games while the girls watch, or more often than not, are caring for their younger siblings, making food, doing the wash, etc. It seems that the young men have more free time than the girls so they have the time to develop their creativity, play games that develop their minds, and just be kids.
How my colleague saw that the girls deferred to the boys in just the simple act of drawing is a microcosm for the roles of men and women here. During church meetings in my village, when there is a matter to be discussed in front of the whole church, it is only the men who speak. The congregation is segregated by sex, so neither sex will be distracted (!). Thus, it is only the male side of the church that actually gives their input as to what should be done about the issue. This is also the pattern in community meetings and even in the Peace Corps with our Ghanaian trainers. If men are present, women will not speak aloud. It was quite frustrating to see this pattern within the Peace Corps, which has the objective to empower women especially. When our trainers would be presenting about certain topics, such as the history and politics of Ghana, it would be only our male trainers who would present, though the women were just as capable as presenting, if not more so. Also, our trainers lived in the communities with us during training and it was a given that if there was a female trainer in the community, she would automatically take on the role of cooking for the male trainer though both were working the exact same hours.
Both the men and women here work extremely hard. The major source of income is from farming yams, cassava, plantains, maize, etc. Both men and women go to farm, but sometimes the women stays home to cook, clean, or grind/roast some of the products from the farm. Washing clothes by hand and cooking over a coal pot is hard work. I know that my host father thought that my host mother did not do anything all day, just because she stayed at home while I was living there. This was very frustrating to hear because I witnessed how hard she worked everyday and also because of the historical perception (that is perhaps fading out a bit in the U.S. due to both mother and father taking a greater role in child-rearing) that taking care of children and home is not "work."
Inevitably, this ties into sex. One of my friends has come to me about questions about her menstrual cycle that she should have known about three years ago, though she is 19. Another one of my friends has tried to ask his teachers and his father honest questions about sex, but no one will answer his questions. Youth seem hard pressed for information about natural functions. It seems that women cannot express their desires openly. They must wear a string of about 5 strings of beads around their waist, which purpose is to signal to the woman's partner that she would like sex without actually expressing herself verbally.
Hope you found this interesting! I am learning so much....
Lindsey
Monday, September 14, 2009
fixing my house and such things like this
Hello! So for the last few weeks, I have been busy just trying to make my house a home. Getting rid of things the previous volunteer left behind, painting, cleaning, etc. My friends and I painted my kitchen a bright green and my bedroom a bright blue. In Ghana, it is all about the bright colors. Actually in some of the native languages, they only have names for the four primary colors-blue, green, red, and yellow. The literal translation for the word yellow is "chicken fat." Hmm...interesting that they would choose that rather than say the sun? ha. My friends and I discussed the meaning of colors a bit. Red is used to symbolize both danger and love (makes some sense since love can be dangerous, yes? ha) . Green is fertility and blue means the dawn. Red and black are the colors worn during funerals. Red in this context is used to symoblize warning. But since death happens so frequently and without any previous indication, I guess the warning is not necessarily to use mosquito nets, eat better, wear condoms, don't work yourself to death, but perhaps to take care of your soul and whatnot.
So I love my new rooms. I feel so much better just living in my house now. It is beginning to feel like my own. I also feel a bit guilty for having the things I do- a propane stove, kitchen supplies, paint, a nice bed, a desk, etc, since there is just so much poverty. To care about and make our living conditions aesthetically pleasing is truly a luxury of industrial countries. I also recognize that if I do not make myself comfortable and do what I need to do to cope and be able to last here, then I will be worthless. One aspect about the PC that I do appreciate is their emphasis on doing things and establishing patterns that will make us happy and feel most like ourselves.
I have been cooking quite a bit. It still takes forever and it is quite an effort, but it is also one of those few things that make me feel in control of my health and who I am. I found a cute puppy today...one of the cutest I have seen so perhaps it will be a welcome addition to my home. :D
I have been making friends and having a good time! Hope to write more later. Only have a minute left....
Love
Lindsey
So I love my new rooms. I feel so much better just living in my house now. It is beginning to feel like my own. I also feel a bit guilty for having the things I do- a propane stove, kitchen supplies, paint, a nice bed, a desk, etc, since there is just so much poverty. To care about and make our living conditions aesthetically pleasing is truly a luxury of industrial countries. I also recognize that if I do not make myself comfortable and do what I need to do to cope and be able to last here, then I will be worthless. One aspect about the PC that I do appreciate is their emphasis on doing things and establishing patterns that will make us happy and feel most like ourselves.
I have been cooking quite a bit. It still takes forever and it is quite an effort, but it is also one of those few things that make me feel in control of my health and who I am. I found a cute puppy today...one of the cutest I have seen so perhaps it will be a welcome addition to my home. :D
I have been making friends and having a good time! Hope to write more later. Only have a minute left....
Love
Lindsey
Monday, August 31, 2009
so much to say!
Hello! I wrote a blog post a few weeks ago, but the lights went out so my work was erased. Hopefully the electricty will stay on long enough for me to finish this post.
We swore in to the Peace Corps on August 13. I was a part of the African dancing troupe who performed at the ceremony. That was interesting. ha. Basically the ceremony seemed to be focused on our host families being able to witness us making fools of ourselves, whether during the dance ceremony, due to our somewhat gaudy, elaborate attire, or during our language presentations. They loved it, though, and I actually had a good time. I usually shy away from fan fare like that, but in Ghana, the more elaborate and what would appear over the top to us (facial expressions, clothing, etc) is all the more welcomed and praised. So I just roll with it and have a good time.
The morning after the swearing in ceremony was one of the most stressful of my entire life. Two of my homestay brothers traveled down to the town I was staying in to meet me. I think my homestay mom maybe didn't just say meet me, but perhaps, come see if you want this person to be your wife. It was pretty intense. I had gone to bed late the night before since all of the PCVs went out to celebrate. I had to wake up early and figure out a way to shove all of my stuff into a bag, say goodbyes, take pictures (I always wait to the last minute), and go see the seamstress to pick up my dress that she should have had done a week ago. So I am shoving everything into this huge bag and the zipper breaks while at the same time that I am attempting to dry out my water filter and my homestay mom is getting quite angry at me because she thinks that she is supposed to keep the water filter and does not want the PC to accuse her of stealing. So then she sews my zipper and runs all over town asking all of the other PCVs whether I am telling the truth about how I do need to take the water filter. Then my youngest homestay brother (about 27) is trying to get me to sit down (I am running late like usual!) and have a serious conversation with him about why I will not respond to his comment about how he wants to see me again and what am I going to do about it. I really don't know what to do about any of this, least of all his demands, so I tell him I have to pack and walk out. I am packed and on time, but then the seamstress is still sewing my dress as I go to her house. Ah! I go to the taxi station to wait with the other PCVs and try to locate my host mom to say goodbye. She is still on her crazy mission to verify the truth about the stupid water filter. Finally she comes, but then my dress is still not done so she runs to pick it up. Finally, I can leave. Given the oddities in my homestay family and the interesting experiences I had with them, I really did have a good time. It was quite entertaining and they did the best they could to accomodate me. As I was leaving my host mom ran to the house once more and handed me 10 oranges before I left. Then I saw that as she turned away she was beginning to cry. She told me once before (she imparted to me many interesting tidbits of knowledge...not necessarily wisdom) that people do not need friends. She said that she is happy with her life of just her children and her husband (though she also told me we should run away from him together?!) and that friends will bring you down. Having said that, I think that she enjoyed having someone else to talk to, perhaps a friend, even.
So fast forward...I have been at my site, Tutukpene, (Google map it!) for almost two weeks now. Right now I am in my market town, Nkwanta, to buy a gas stove and meet with other PCVS tomorrow. This is also where I do my banking. Even when I am in Nkwanta, I miss the people in T.P. I have an entourage of 12- year old small boys (term used to describe boys under the age of like 16 who generally fetch things for you and do chores if need be by bribing them with some candy) who come to my house about 4 times a day. They help me fetch water, cook, etc. They also just sit on my porch alot and sing African pop songs, bust some dance moves, are learning to knit, etc. I enjoy their company and we just have a good time together. Hanging out with them reminds me of hanging with my cousin Steven. Though, with Steven, there is more license to get into mischief, and I miss that. Keep up your crazy ways boy!
For the first three months, the PC does not want volunteers embarking on extensive projects. The purpose of the first three months at site is to become integrated within the community and understand what the needs of the community are and how to address those needs. The literature in the PC is very strengths-based, which is a social work term for looking at what is going right in the community as opposed to what is going wrong. The philosophy is that there are always things going right and the way to make more things go right, or improve the community, is to build on these strengths. To be able to identify the strengths, I need to spend time in the community and with community members conducting censuses (censi?...my English is so poor!I need a dictionary to read for fun. ) I will also travel to some of the satellite communities in which I will be working every so often this week. At this stage, it is all about community assessments.
Since I have only been at site for two weeks, I have just been working on getting to know people. Last night, I went with one of my friends to watch a football match on TV. In T.P., we do not have electricity, except for one store and one bar. The bar has a satellite so when there is a football or boxing match, you can pay 50 cents to watch it. In terms of entertainment, there are funerals, church, playing boards games, playing football, watching me try to cook over a coal pot (pretty much a disaster). There is going to be a huge funeral this next weekend and people in the town are already asking if I am getting ready to dance, due to the last funeral weekend when I cut a rug. Funerals are crazy, at least when the sun goes down! There are strobe lights, a huge sound system, a million rug rats mosh pitting and gyrating like I have never seen, and the party doesn't stop until the wee hours of the morning. I am not exactly sure why funerals are like...death is seen differently all over the world and experienced differently. I do know that death happens so frequently and seemingly without a reason. Everytime you ask why someone has died, the answer is simply that he or she fell sick. So much for our obsession with autopsies.
I have had quite a bit of free time, as is common in the PC. Thus far, I have knit a headband, a coin purse, a potholder. The small boys want to learn to knit. One thing that would be a great present would be some cheap knitting needles and yarn so that I could actually start a club. :D I have also read about three books in the last two weeks. I highly recommend When You are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris. It makes my life of going to the bathroom down a hole in the ground with cockroaches seem not so strange after all. (Hint, hint...Michael, hurry up and send me your Sedaris book. I need some comic relief!)
I'll write some more posts in the following weeks about stuff some of you are interested in...women's roles, economics in Ghana, sociopolitical stuff. Living in a developing country again is so eye opening. I won't deny that it is hard and frustrating (waiting for 3 hours at the bank to do a simple transaction), but the people are so down to earth and welcoming. I think, as in most places where the living conditions are not favorable, it is the people that make it worth it.
tata!
Linds
We swore in to the Peace Corps on August 13. I was a part of the African dancing troupe who performed at the ceremony. That was interesting. ha. Basically the ceremony seemed to be focused on our host families being able to witness us making fools of ourselves, whether during the dance ceremony, due to our somewhat gaudy, elaborate attire, or during our language presentations. They loved it, though, and I actually had a good time. I usually shy away from fan fare like that, but in Ghana, the more elaborate and what would appear over the top to us (facial expressions, clothing, etc) is all the more welcomed and praised. So I just roll with it and have a good time.
The morning after the swearing in ceremony was one of the most stressful of my entire life. Two of my homestay brothers traveled down to the town I was staying in to meet me. I think my homestay mom maybe didn't just say meet me, but perhaps, come see if you want this person to be your wife. It was pretty intense. I had gone to bed late the night before since all of the PCVs went out to celebrate. I had to wake up early and figure out a way to shove all of my stuff into a bag, say goodbyes, take pictures (I always wait to the last minute), and go see the seamstress to pick up my dress that she should have had done a week ago. So I am shoving everything into this huge bag and the zipper breaks while at the same time that I am attempting to dry out my water filter and my homestay mom is getting quite angry at me because she thinks that she is supposed to keep the water filter and does not want the PC to accuse her of stealing. So then she sews my zipper and runs all over town asking all of the other PCVs whether I am telling the truth about how I do need to take the water filter. Then my youngest homestay brother (about 27) is trying to get me to sit down (I am running late like usual!) and have a serious conversation with him about why I will not respond to his comment about how he wants to see me again and what am I going to do about it. I really don't know what to do about any of this, least of all his demands, so I tell him I have to pack and walk out. I am packed and on time, but then the seamstress is still sewing my dress as I go to her house. Ah! I go to the taxi station to wait with the other PCVs and try to locate my host mom to say goodbye. She is still on her crazy mission to verify the truth about the stupid water filter. Finally she comes, but then my dress is still not done so she runs to pick it up. Finally, I can leave. Given the oddities in my homestay family and the interesting experiences I had with them, I really did have a good time. It was quite entertaining and they did the best they could to accomodate me. As I was leaving my host mom ran to the house once more and handed me 10 oranges before I left. Then I saw that as she turned away she was beginning to cry. She told me once before (she imparted to me many interesting tidbits of knowledge...not necessarily wisdom) that people do not need friends. She said that she is happy with her life of just her children and her husband (though she also told me we should run away from him together?!) and that friends will bring you down. Having said that, I think that she enjoyed having someone else to talk to, perhaps a friend, even.
So fast forward...I have been at my site, Tutukpene, (Google map it!) for almost two weeks now. Right now I am in my market town, Nkwanta, to buy a gas stove and meet with other PCVS tomorrow. This is also where I do my banking. Even when I am in Nkwanta, I miss the people in T.P. I have an entourage of 12- year old small boys (term used to describe boys under the age of like 16 who generally fetch things for you and do chores if need be by bribing them with some candy) who come to my house about 4 times a day. They help me fetch water, cook, etc. They also just sit on my porch alot and sing African pop songs, bust some dance moves, are learning to knit, etc. I enjoy their company and we just have a good time together. Hanging out with them reminds me of hanging with my cousin Steven. Though, with Steven, there is more license to get into mischief, and I miss that. Keep up your crazy ways boy!
For the first three months, the PC does not want volunteers embarking on extensive projects. The purpose of the first three months at site is to become integrated within the community and understand what the needs of the community are and how to address those needs. The literature in the PC is very strengths-based, which is a social work term for looking at what is going right in the community as opposed to what is going wrong. The philosophy is that there are always things going right and the way to make more things go right, or improve the community, is to build on these strengths. To be able to identify the strengths, I need to spend time in the community and with community members conducting censuses (censi?...my English is so poor!I need a dictionary to read for fun. ) I will also travel to some of the satellite communities in which I will be working every so often this week. At this stage, it is all about community assessments.
Since I have only been at site for two weeks, I have just been working on getting to know people. Last night, I went with one of my friends to watch a football match on TV. In T.P., we do not have electricity, except for one store and one bar. The bar has a satellite so when there is a football or boxing match, you can pay 50 cents to watch it. In terms of entertainment, there are funerals, church, playing boards games, playing football, watching me try to cook over a coal pot (pretty much a disaster). There is going to be a huge funeral this next weekend and people in the town are already asking if I am getting ready to dance, due to the last funeral weekend when I cut a rug. Funerals are crazy, at least when the sun goes down! There are strobe lights, a huge sound system, a million rug rats mosh pitting and gyrating like I have never seen, and the party doesn't stop until the wee hours of the morning. I am not exactly sure why funerals are like...death is seen differently all over the world and experienced differently. I do know that death happens so frequently and seemingly without a reason. Everytime you ask why someone has died, the answer is simply that he or she fell sick. So much for our obsession with autopsies.
I have had quite a bit of free time, as is common in the PC. Thus far, I have knit a headband, a coin purse, a potholder. The small boys want to learn to knit. One thing that would be a great present would be some cheap knitting needles and yarn so that I could actually start a club. :D I have also read about three books in the last two weeks. I highly recommend When You are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris. It makes my life of going to the bathroom down a hole in the ground with cockroaches seem not so strange after all. (Hint, hint...Michael, hurry up and send me your Sedaris book. I need some comic relief!)
I'll write some more posts in the following weeks about stuff some of you are interested in...women's roles, economics in Ghana, sociopolitical stuff. Living in a developing country again is so eye opening. I won't deny that it is hard and frustrating (waiting for 3 hours at the bank to do a simple transaction), but the people are so down to earth and welcoming. I think, as in most places where the living conditions are not favorable, it is the people that make it worth it.
tata!
Linds
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